Mop holder

ABSTRACT

A mop holder including a slender, elongate cylindrical handle and a sleeve slidable upon the handle, a pair of spring arms of unequal length removably affixed at one end of the handle within longitudinal, diametrically opposed recesses, the said sleeve being slidable from a first position to a second position, the sleeve securing and retaining both spring arms against the handle when in the first position and the said sleeve permitting the shorter of said arms to swing clear from the handle for mop changing purposes when in its second position.

United States Patent n51 3,681,810 Vosbikian, Jr. 1 Aug. 8, 1972 [54] M0? HOLDER FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS [72] Invent r: P t r m hm J 1315 West 24,300 12/1894 Great Britain ..l5/l47 C Cumberland Street, Philadelphia,

[22] Filed: Sept. 14, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 71,740

[52] 0.8. CI ..l5ll50 [51] int. Cl. ..A47l 13/24 [58] Field of Search.....l5/115, 120 R, 120 A, 147 C, 15/150, 154

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,635,973 7/1927 Hi1] ..l5/ 150 2,014,602 9/1935 Nilson ..15/147 C 1,492,910 5/1924 Wingrave ..15/ 150 1,712,878 5/1929 Erickson ..15/150 Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum AtromeyKarl L. Spivak [57] ABSTRACT A mop holder including a slender, elongate cylindrical handle and a sleeve slidable upon the handle, a pair of spring arms of unequal length removably affixed at one end of the handle within longitudinal, diametrically opposed recesses, the said sleeve being slidable from a first position to a second position, the sleeve securing and retaining both spring arms against the handle when in the first position and the said sleeve permitting the shorter of said arms to swing clear from the handle for mop changing purposes when in its second position.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEBws 8 I972 PETER S. VOSBIKIAN JR.

E N R O n A INVENTOR.

MOP rrormm BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of household appliances, and more particularly, is directed to a novel mop holder provided with construction to readily permit installation and replacement of the usual soft fabric portions.

Prior workers in the field have developed various types of mop replacement constructions, one of which included a spring type of mop holder utilizing spring clamp arms and an openable yoke for mop securing purposes. Others have developed some type of threaded member which secures a yoke to the mop handle for replacement purposes. Such prior art constructions have proved generally satisfactory in use but all former designs suffer from certain drawbacks such as the initial high cost of fabrication and additionally, after repeated uses, the threaded members of most prior models become corroded, fouled or otherwise un servicable, thereby rendering the entire mop holder construction unsatisfactory. Other prior artdevices have been designed with openable spring arm members which affix to the mop handle by means of a semi-circular shank and a slidable sleeve to affix the mop securing construction to the mop handle. This type of construction likewise is quite costly in fabrication and has a tendency to corrode or otherwise foul upon repeated applications in water. Other devices of which I am familiar include openable members which directly clamp the mop therebetween for replacement purposes by employing hand operated threaded members. Most of these prior art constructions are unsatisfactory both from a standpoint of wear and also from the fact that it is almost always necessary to soil the hands of the user when opening the device to replace a worn or soiled mop.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of household cleaning appliances, and more particularly is directed to a unique mop holding construction facilitating the replacement of soft mop portions with a minimum of effort and soil.

The mop holder of the present invention includes a pair of spring arms of unequal length which pivotally connect to a mop holding web at one end and removably affix to the mop handle at the other end. A sleeve slides upon the handle and is longitudinally movable from a forward position to a rearward position. The movement of the sleeve is carefully regulated to lock both spring arms upon the handle when in the forward position and to allow the shorter of the spring arms to swing clear of the handle for mop replacement purposes when in the rearward position.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved mop holder of the type set forth.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel mop holder fabricated entirely of inexpensive molded plastic and bent wire parts.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel mop holder including a pair of spring arms of unequal length removably affixed to a mop handle by means of a longitudinally slidable sleeve.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel mop holder including a pair of spring arms retained upon a mop handle by a slidable sleeve, the sleeve sliding with relation to the handle to release only one of the spring arms for mop interchanging purposes. It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel mop holder that is simple in design, inexpensive in manufacture and trouble-free in operation.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the following description and claims of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention, the soft portions of the mop being indicated in phantom lines for purposes of association.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the invention with the slide in the forward position, portions of the device have been broken away to expose internal construction.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 2 with the slide in the rearward position, portions of which have been broken away to expose interior construction.

FIG. 4 is a partial, enlarged, top plan view of the connection between a spring arm and the mop holding web.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show a mop holder generally designated 10 affixed to one end of an elongate handle 12 which is preferably fabricated of wood to an elongated, cylindrical configuration in the usual manner. The mop holder 10 comprises a sleeve 14, a transverse web 18 and a pair of unequal length spring arms 20, 22 which pivotally affix to the lateral ends of the web 18 and removably position upon the working end 24 of the mop handle 12.

The sleeve 14 slidably arranges upon the handle 12 near the working end 24 and is reciprocal from a forward, locking position 16 as in FIGS. 1 and 2 to a rearward, unlocked position 26 as illustrated in FIG. 3. A stop button 28 secures to and projects from the surface of the handle 12 to define the rearward-most position of travel of the sleeve 14 when it slides to the unlocked position 26. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spring arms 20, 22 terminate forwardly in respective transverse bends 30, 32 which define the forward sleeve travel limit when the sleeve slides to its first locking position 16. Thus, the sleeve is longitudinally slidable upon the handle from its locking position 16 to its open position 26.

The functional end 24 of the handle 12 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed, elongated slots 34, 36 of sufficient depth and length to receive the entire respective spring arms 20, 22 beneath the outer periphery thereof. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spring arms 20, 22 respectively fit within the elongated slots 34, 36 to thereby permit the sleeve 14 to longitudinally slide over the spring arms 20, 22 when reciprocated between the open position 26 and the locking position 16. The slide overfits and locks the spring arms 20, 22 within the respective associated slots 34, 36 when urged to the locking position 16. When the sleeve slides to its open position 26 as in FIG. 3, the rearward end stops against the button 28 to expose the shorter spring arm 22 thereby pemiitting the arm 22 to swing clear of the handle 12 while at the same time retaining the longer arm within its associated slot 34.

Each spring arm 20, 22 terminates rearwardly in a short, inwardly projecting lock 42, 44 which serve to prevent relative motion between the mop holding web 18 and the handle 12. Each elongated slot 34, 36 respectively terminates rearwardly in a radially inwardly directed socket 38, 40 which are sized and positioned to receive the respective spring arm locks 42, 44 therein when the spring arms position within their respective elongated slots 34, 36. As indicated in FIG. 3, each arm 20, 22 bows slightly outwardly intermediate its ends to provide the spring bow sections 46, 48 for locking interaction with the sleeve 14 as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the sleeve 14 serves to lock the spring arms 20, 22 within the associated elongated slots 34, 36 when the sleeve is pushed to its locking position 16 by completely covering the slots 34, 36. Relative movement between the sleeve 14 and the operating end 24 of the handle 12 is resisted by the locking action of the spring bow sections 46, 48 against the interior of the sleeve 14. The action of the spring arms 20, 22 as the respective spring sections 46, 48 press against the interior of the sleeve 14 serves to prevent unintentional longitudinal movement of the sleeve with respect to the handle. it should be further noted that the action of the sleeve 14 when urged to its locking position 16 presses the spring arms 20, 22 within their associated elongated slots 34, 36 to thereby secure the spring arm terminal locks 42, 44 within the respective receiving sockets 38, 40. In the locked position illustrated in FIG. 2, the sleeve 14 serves to prevent any relative movement of the mop holding web 18 with respect to the handle 12.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the sleeve 14 reciprocates to its lowermost position 50 by travelling longitudinally of the handle 12 until stopped by the button 28. It will be noted that the button 28 positions along the handle 12 a distance sufficient to permit the sleeve 14 to slide entirely clear of the short spring arm 22, its associated elongated slot 36 and the receiving socket 40. However, the button 28 positions upon the handle 12 in a location to prevent the sleeve 14 from sliding entirely clear of the long spring arm 20. In this position, the sleeve 14 covers the rearward portion of the slot 36, the spring arm lock 42 and its associated socket 38. Thus, when the sleeve 14 slides to its lowermost position 50, the long spring arm 20 is clamped within its associated elongated slot 34 and the short spring arm 22 freely pivots outwardly from the handle 12 to permit the application or replacement of a mop 52 of well-known construction upon the web 18.

Each transverse bend 30, 32 of the respective spring mi l... man 9 1 25.8 2'52 33' 2 bends 30, 32 to define a transverse space 58 for mop insertion purposes. Each short arm 56, 58 terminates inwardly in respective pivotal connections 60, 62 for pivotal engagement of the transverse web 18. The pivotal connections 60, 62 allow the web 18 to pivot and the short spring arm 22 to fully open for mop receiving purposes when installing or replacing a mop 52. The web 18 is endwardly drilled at the lateral ends to provide a pair of elongated openings 64, 66 at the pivotal connections 60, 62. The elongated openings 64, 66 allow slight transverse relative motion between the short arms 54, 56 and the web 18 to facilitate accommodating sofl mop constructions 52 of various configurations.

I claim:

1. In a mop holder of the type incorporating an elongated cylindrical handle having an operating end for affixing the mop construction, the combination of A. a sleeve slidable upon the said handle,

I. said sleeve having a forward locking position, 2. said sleeve having a rearward unlocked position;

B. mop holding means associated with the operating end of the handle, l. said mop holding means including a fixed arm and an openable arm pivotally connected to a mop holding web,

a. said fixed arm and openable arm being locked upon the operating end of the handle when the sleeve moves to its said forward locking position,

b. said openable arm swinging clear of the mop handle about its said pivotal connection to the web when the sleeve reciprocates to its said rearward position, and

2. said mop holding means including spring means in sliding contact with the sleeve,

a. said spring means including an outwardly bowed section formed in each of said arms,

b. said outwardly bowed sections biasing against the sleeve to discourage movement of the sleeve from its said forward locking position. 

1. In a mop holder of the type incorporating an elongated cylindrical handle having an operating end for affixing the mop construction, the combination of A. a sleeve slidable upon the said handle,
 1. said sleeve having a forward locking position,
 2. said sleeve having a rearward unlocked position; B. mop holding means associated with the operating end of the handle,
 1. said mop holding means including a fixed arm and an openable arm pivotally connected to a mop holding web, a. said fixed arm and openable arm being locked upon the operating end of the handle when the sleeve moves to its said forward locking position, b. said openable arm swinging clear of the mop handle about its said pivotal connection to the web when the sleeve reciprocates to its said rearward position, and
 2. said mop holding means including spring means in sliding contact with the sleeve, a. said spring means including an outwardly bowed section formed in each of said arms, b. said outwardly bowed sections biasing against the sleeve to discourage movement of the sleeve from its said forward locking position.
 2. said sleeve having a rearward unlocked position; B. mop holding means associated with the operating end of the handle,
 2. said mop holding means including spring means in sliding contact with the sleeve, a. said spring means including an outwardly bowed section formed in each of said arms, b. said outwardly bowed sections biasing against the sleeve to discourage movement of the sleeve from its said forward locking position. 